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TheSabre.com
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Basketball Features
Monica Wright, the Cavaliers' spectacular senior guard, and her teammates are excited about Sunday. Really excited. That's when Tennessee comes to town for a 4 p.m. tip-off on Hot Dog Day. More than 8,000 tickets have already been sold so the John Paul Jones Arena is expected to be an electric atmosphere for the contest. The Sabre caught up with Wright to make her the debut guest in a new basketball feature. Let's play a round of H-O-R-S-E with the Hoos' standout.
While Mike Scott served as the offensive catalyst, Tony Bennett's Pack-Line defense put the brakes on a previously full throttle Rider offense. The combination of the two resulted in an impressive, to say the least, 79-46 Virginia victory in the Cancun Challenge on Thursday. The 33-point victory is clearly the best performance to date in the early stages of Bennett's tenure at UVa.
The Virginia men's basketball team opened a new era under coach Tony Bennett with an 85-72 win against Longwood last Friday. The defense was a bit lackluster - as the Hoos found out against Southern Florida three days later - but for Wahoo fans, it was nice to see Virginia start 2009-10 on the right foot. Check out the EDGE photo gallery for images from the game!
Tony Bennett's arrival in Charlottesville has students on Grounds talking about basketball again. Especially following a disappointing football season, many students are placing hope in the new basketball coach and the rebuilding of the program at UVa. Excited and hopeful, students have faith that Bennett will bring necessary changes to UVa basketball.
Like many teams that Virginia will play on its schedule, South Florida is not Longwood. Like the Longwood game, Virginia played a tough defensive first half. But, like the Longwood game, Virginia became porous in the second half - particularly inside - and committed turnovers at crucial moments. Add some cold UVa shooting and South Florida opened with a 17-5 run to start the second half, propelling the Bulls to a 66-49 victory in Tampa, Fla.
The last time K.T. Harrell stepped onto a basketball court for a high school varsity game, he was just a sophomore. He was forced to sit out last season at Brewbaker Magnet (Montgomery, AL) because of transfer rules, so the only organized basketball action he has seen has come in AAU. The 6-4, 205-pound senior guard impressed on the 2009 AAU circuit, earning a handful of Division 1 offers and drawing rave reviews from high school basketball recruiting analysts, but now he looks forward to showing off his talents for Brewbaker.
When it comes to turnovers, Virginia looks like a team trying to shake a bad caffeine habit. Shaky at times. I don't really need to do this, but I could use the boost decisions. Hey, I know this is bad for me and I'm going to quit but I can't help myself moments.
The good news? The Hoos do indeed look like someone trying to shake the habit, not like someone hopelessly guzzling 32-ounce 7-11 Big Gulps. The bad news? It's a work in progress, something clear during Friday's opener with Longwood.
The Virginia men's basketball team tips off its season in just a few hours when Longwood visits the John Paul Jones Arena for a 7 p.m. contest. The Sabre sat down on Media Day last month with several players to talk about the Hoos and the upcoming season with new coach Tony Bennett. Check out these Quick Takes with Jerome Meyinsse, Mustapha Farrakhan and Thomas Kody.
James Johnson officially became a member of Virginia's 2010 recruiting class yesterday, when he signed and faxed a letter of intent to head coach Tony Bennett. Johnson, a forward/center rated a 4-star prospect by Rivals.com and Scout.com, is excited to be a Cavalier.
There are a number of reasons why Sylven Landesberg might be due for what is commonly referred to as a "sophomore slump" - a down second year after a dynamite rookie season. After winning ACC Rookie of the Year last season, Landesberg is anything but a secret. His perimeter jumper and mid-range game were nothing to brag about a year ago, and opposing defenses will surely make him prove he can knock down a jumper before they let him even get a sniff of the lane.
Landesberg knows all of this. And that's why he put in the work over the offseason - so that it can't happen.
It's easy to forget, but Solomon Tat started 8 of Virginia's last 10 games last season. That's right, Tat started nearly one-third of the Cavaliers' contests a year ago. Viewed as a gimmick by some observers, to then-coach Dave Leitao the reasoning was simple. He thought the team needed more passion and energy. Tat delivers those things in heavy doses.
With Saturday's football loss in South Florida, the Wahoo Nation should definitely welcome the start of the Tony Bennett era on Friday, Nov. 13. In future weeks, we'll analyze games, render opinions and hopefully have some teachable moments, but in this first column, a few season-opening comments about Coach Bennett himself and a season preview of the team.
Every season, The Sabre likes to take a preseason look at 10 key questions facing the Virginia men's basketball team. On Friday, Part I considered turnovers, a potential 'X Factor' player for the team, and more. Part II of 10 Key Questions focuses on two of the important pieces in the Cavaliers' puzzle, defense, of course, and more.
Every season, The Sabre likes to take a preseason look at 10 key questions facing the Virginia men's basketball team. Every season, at least one of the questions focuses on a player that could be an 'X Factor' for the team. In past seasons, this two-part article has asked about things like point guards, the John Paul Jones Arena, and rebounding for example.
So here, in no particular order, are the first five questions facing Tony Bennett's first Cavalier team.
Jeff Jones knows that his career has been on an up-and-down path so far at Virginia. He knows about his inconsistent shooting and scoring. Jones also knows that time is flying and that his time as a Cavalier is already half over. That's why, he says, he has plenty of motivation to have a strong junior year in orange and blue.
In the first season of new Virginia coach Tony Bennett's tenure, he is spending plenty of time on installing an offensive system and the principles the Pack-Line defense. The focus remains on playing strong defense and soundness with the basketball, two things Bennett says are the key part of a foundation for his players. While Bennett spends countless hours getting his players to buy into his offensive and defensive systems, though, there's also a spotlight on shooting with a new season ready to tip off next week.
Having realized the childhood dream of earning a college scholarship offer, 6-6, 200-pound guard/forward Joe Harris decided to forego his final season on the football field to concentrate on preparing for his final season on the basketball court. Lake Chelan's (WA) first practice takes place on November 16th, and its star senior is pleased with the decision he made.
"Jerry West hired me."
In some respects, that says it all about Virginia's Mike Curtis. Jerry West, one of the pre-eminent basketball figures in the past 50 years, hired the UVa graduate to be the head strength and conditioning coach for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2002. Curtis worked in the organization for six years, something he still counts as a blessing.
Ritchie McKay compiled a winning record of 204-186 in 13 years as a head coach. Just last season, he guided Liberty to a 23-12 record that tied a school record for wins in a Division I season. The same LU that has a mission of "Training Champions for Christ" and religious roots. Still, McKay, a man passionate about his faith, decided to leave Liberty and the head coach title behind after two seasons.
Why? Faith, Tony Bennett, and a place with unlimited potential for success.
6-8, 220-pound Will Regan, a standout senior forward out of Nichols School in Buffalo (N.Y.), didn't need confirmation on his college choice, but that's what he got when he took his official visit to the University of Virginia earlier this month. Regan committed to UVa in June, picking the Cavaliers over offers from Arizona State, Maryland, Providence and Stanford.
A week after accepting a scholarship offer from head coach Tony Bennett, Charlotte Christian (Charlotte, N.C.) forward Akil Mitchell made an official visit to his future school. Mitchell, a 6-7, 210-pound senior, wanted to get to know the players and coaches more closely and that's exactly what he was able to do.
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